A Sweet Possibility (Archer Cove Series Book 2) (19 page)

"Oh." Anna's cheeks burned. "Right. I forgot about that."

"It happens to the best of us." The reporter crossed one slender leg over the other and leaned closer to Anna. "You know, you must love the holidays to invest so much of yourself in this festival. Can you tell me about your favorite holiday tradition?"

"I don't...know."

Anna stared at the camera lens. Wires were coiled like snakes around the floor -- what if someone tripped? Would she be sued for that? And Devon wanted to know what she loved so much about the holidays, and why wouldn't Anna's mouth work? Blast.

Beside her, Devon laughed good-naturedly and shuffled her papers again. "So, it could be anything. Like a favorite food, or a toy you received --"

"The holidays are kind of a hard time for me," Anna said quietly. Her voice sounded strained and thin to her ears. "I didn't plan this festival because I wanted money. I planned it because I don't want to be alone. Because if I'm busy, then I can forget."

She was staring at her fists as she spoke, clenching and unclenching them on her lap. As she finished speaking, she brought her gaze up to meet Devon's, and she saw that she'd said the wrong thing. Again. "I'm sorry, Devon," Anna muttered. "I don't do well with perky small talk. I just said "bull penis" in front of the orphans. And on live television." There was a burst of giggles in the audience, but Anna continued. "Look, it's going to be a nice festival. We kick off in two weeks with hot chocolate and cookies at the inn. Everyone's welcome. Maybe you love the holidays, or maybe you find them sad and stressful and they remind you of the passage of time and make you want to lose your feelings in a container of that orange popcorn that people like to send around this time of year. You know what I mean? That cheese popcorn that's covered with orange dust. It comes in the tin. Either way, you're welcome to attend the festival. We'd love to have you."

She paused, and her ears were filled with only the sound of her own thundering heart and a crackle as a log slipped in the fireplace. That camera was still pointed at her. Anna pressed her lips together and turned to Devon. "Anyway, the cookie making competition isn't limited to cookies. I hope participants will feel free to make brownies and other things, too. Oh, and the Jingle Bell dance requires a sign up! But it's posted online on our website." She smiled. "If you're coming from out of town, there's plenty of time."

She folded her hands in her lap to signal that the interview had ended -- and on a decent note, all things considered. Devon's lovely face had gone blank and her jaw slack, but she recovered after a beat and glanced at the producer. "Well, a few minutes early. But we're okay, right Tom?"

Anna didn't wait for the answer before rising and shuffling off the set toward the man who had entered. Behind her she heard Devon say, "I guess we'll all just take a break?"

Let them all scramble, Anna didn't care. The segment was mostly ruined, though maybe they'd give her a chance to do a quick follow-up, assuming she could manage to pull herself together in the next few minutes. But composure seemed less and less likely as she approached the man at the side of the room and his features came into focus. That thick, dark blond hair. Those sharply blue eyes, intense and gentle at the same time. He had a beard, but she'd still recognize him anywhere. Her heart arrested. "Ben."

AVAILABLE DECEMBER 2015

N
atalie Charles has worked
as an attorney, a playground supervisor, and a makeup sales clerk, but not in that order. The happy sufferer of a lifelong addiction to mystery novels, Natalie has, sadly, never out-sleuthed a detective. She is a RT Reviewer's Choice Award winner and has been a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mystery/Suspense. She lives in Connecticut with her hero husband and two bookish children.

Natalie loves connecting with readers!

• @tallie_charles
  
• writernataliecharles